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i899'] Document No. 24. 11
for the fertilizer or seed control. Wl^ere the agricultural
departments were weak, the Stations were deluged with
letters containing questions relating to agriculture, and to
lessen the labor involved in sending the same answers to
many parties, information bulletins were published. While
Stations are criticised for this, it is difficult to see how they
could fail to answer courteous letters from citizens of the
State in -which they are located without giving offence, un-less
some other bureau were provided to do the work. In
some States the Morrill fund, arising from Act of Congress,
was not supplemented by State aid, and there was a ten-dency
to use the Hatch fund to supplement this, and thus
to strengthen the weak agricultural colleges. There was
also trouble which came from lack of properly trained work-ers,
and of a proper appreciation on the part of the public
of the purposes of the station.
But the formative period is passing, and influences
which tended to turn the Stations from their original
purposes are now in their favor. The agricultural col-leges
are getting on a higher plane, and in consequence
there is less need to encroach upon Station time. A
greater number of trained Station workers exists. The
farmers are demanding the establishment of agricultural
departments, or an increase in the efficiency of the work
of those already established, and the Stations are largely
relieved of police work and correspondence. The agricul-tural
papers are more numerous and are greatly improved
in ffrade, and thus the Stations are relieved of work which
has heretofore filled some of the bulletins. While the
vp'ork of the past twelve years may have much in it for
criticism, there is certainly much for praise.
The aim of the Experiment Station has been interpreted
by many, but it would be difficult to find a better interpreta-tion
than that given by the Secretary of Agriculture in his re-port
for 1898, in which he says : " College duties should not
be allowed to encroach on the time set apart for original in-vestigation,
and the compilation of old information should

i899'] Document No. 24. 11
for the fertilizer or seed control. Wl^ere the agricultural
departments were weak, the Stations were deluged with
letters containing questions relating to agriculture, and to
lessen the labor involved in sending the same answers to
many parties, information bulletins were published. While
Stations are criticised for this, it is difficult to see how they
could fail to answer courteous letters from citizens of the
State in -which they are located without giving offence, un-less
some other bureau were provided to do the work. In
some States the Morrill fund, arising from Act of Congress,
was not supplemented by State aid, and there was a ten-dency
to use the Hatch fund to supplement this, and thus
to strengthen the weak agricultural colleges. There was
also trouble which came from lack of properly trained work-ers,
and of a proper appreciation on the part of the public
of the purposes of the station.
But the formative period is passing, and influences
which tended to turn the Stations from their original
purposes are now in their favor. The agricultural col-leges
are getting on a higher plane, and in consequence
there is less need to encroach upon Station time. A
greater number of trained Station workers exists. The
farmers are demanding the establishment of agricultural
departments, or an increase in the efficiency of the work
of those already established, and the Stations are largely
relieved of police work and correspondence. The agricul-tural
papers are more numerous and are greatly improved
in ffrade, and thus the Stations are relieved of work which
has heretofore filled some of the bulletins. While the
vp'ork of the past twelve years may have much in it for
criticism, there is certainly much for praise.
The aim of the Experiment Station has been interpreted
by many, but it would be difficult to find a better interpreta-tion
than that given by the Secretary of Agriculture in his re-port
for 1898, in which he says : " College duties should not
be allowed to encroach on the time set apart for original in-vestigation,
and the compilation of old information should